476 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



band to become restricted, rest of under-parts whiter, crown less 

 marked with black and eye-stripe whiter. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Adult female. Winter. Upper -parts, wings and tail as male ; 

 moustachial stripes, chin and centre of throat buff to buffish-white, 

 feathers here and there with dark brown spots, occasionally a few 

 blue feathers in moustachial stripe and throat -spot sometimes 

 rufous ; lines down sides of throat and breast-band brown-black, 

 feathers edged greyish -white, feathers of upper part of breast-band 

 sometimes pale metallic -blue ; rest of breast below breast-band 

 dull white mottled black -brown and tinged rufous-buff ; rest of 

 under-parts rather paler than and not so huffish as in male. Moult 

 as in male. Summer. Moult as in male. Plumage usually as in 

 winter, but some examples acquire considerable amount of blue 

 in moustachial region and a little on chin. 



Juvenile. Male and female. Whole upper -parts brown-black, 

 each feather with a median line of buff broadening at the tip, 

 especially in feathers of mantle and scapulars ; upper tail-coverts 

 rufous, slightly fringed dark brown ; lores and ear-coverts buff, 

 feathers tipped black-brown ; chin pale buff, feathers lightly 

 tipped dark biown ; throat and breast buff, feathers widely fringed 

 black-brown ; flanks same but with less black-brown ; centre 

 of belly buffish-white speckled with black-brown ; under tail- 

 coverts, axillaries, under wing-coverts, tail-feathers, primaries 

 and secondaries as adult but innermost secondaries with more 

 buffish edgings and with small buff spots at their tips ; primary- 

 coverts with buff tips ; greater coverts with buff edgings and 

 tips ; median and lesser coverts with broad buff tips. N.B. 

 Buff tips of wing-coverts are broader in centre of feather and thus 

 somewhat wedge-shaped. 



First winter. Male. Like adult male but blue of moustachial 

 stripe less pronounced, chin whitish, centre of throat varying 

 from whitish with a few rufous feathers at base to pale chestnut 

 but chestnut never so dark nor so extended as in adult male ; 

 chestnut breast-band usually paler than in adult ; primary-coverts 

 and outer half of greater coverts with buff tips as in juvenile and 

 buff tips sometimes observable on innermost secondaries but 

 these soon become worn off. The juvenile body -feathers, lesser 

 and median, and varying number of inner greater wing-coverts 

 are moulted Aug.-Sept., but not remiges, rectrices, primary -co verts 

 nor rest of greater coverts. Summer. Moult as in adult after 

 which becomes like adult summer male but distinguishable by 

 buff tips to outer greater wing -co verts. 



First winter. Female. Like adult winter female but chin 

 and centre of throat whiter, without spots and very rarely with a 

 tinge of rufous ; very rarely indeed with even a tinge of blue on 

 breast-band ; wings as in first winter male. Summer. Varies 



